A manic episode requires a distinct period of persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and persistently increased activity/energy lasting at least 1 week (or any duration if hospitalization is necessary).
Attention too easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant external stimuli.
Excessive involvement in high-risk pleasurable activities (spending sprees, sexual indiscretions, foolish business investments).
Inflated self-esteem or delusionally expansive self-worth (e.g. possessing supernatural gifts, special connections to deities).
Subjective experience that thoughts are racing, continuous flow of rapid speech jumping from topic to topic.
Increase in goal-directed activity (socially, at work, sexually) or purposeless psychomotor agitation.
Feels rested after only 2-3 hours of sleep (distinct from insomnia where patient wants to sleep but cannot).
Loud, rapid, unstoppable speech that is difficult or impossible to interrupt.